King Air 260

Of the four turboprops we charter, Beechcraft builds one and the other three have ended production. The King Air 260 is that aircraft, and for a charterer the consequence is practical rather than sentimental: a current type means younger airframes reaching the market, a deeper support network behind them, and a supply that is not capped at whatever survives. The cabin runs 200 in, second in the class only to the PC-12/47E's 203, and seats six to seven with 55 cu ft of baggage across five bags. Range is 1,720 nm.

The proportions are the trade. At 54 in wide and 57.1 in high this is the narrowest and the lowest cabin of the four — the two Piaggios are 73 in across, and a charterer moving between them will register that immediately. Takeoff is 3,925 ft and landing 3,532 ft, the longest requirements in the class, so the airfield argument that carries the PC-12/47E does not carry this aircraft. Top speed is 310 kt; we hold verified speed figures for only two of the four turboprops, so that number is quoted as a fact rather than as a ranking. What the King Air offers is a current airframe on a 1,720 nm sector.

The current turboprop